Battle Royal - 1553 Words

A Battle Royal for Equality: An Analysis of Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"Battle Royal† â€Å"Battle Royal† provides a realistic portrait of the difficulty of being a black person in a Country dominated by white men. Ellison uses several symbols in â€Å"Battle Royal† to illustrate the black struggle for equality. These symbols include the stripper, the flag tattoo on the stripper’s stomach, the blindfold, and the battle itself. The stripper is symbolic of the connection between women and black people in the eyes of white men, and her tattoo symbolizes the freedom that the black men want. The blindfold is symbolic of the narrator’s blindness to the actions of the white men, as well as the limitations binding black people, and most evidently, the battle†¦show more content†¦The white man is also trying to uphold his power and control over the situation by gaining the narrator’s trust. The narrator is naà ¯ve in his understanding when he receives a leather brief case and a scholarship after delivering his speech: â€Å"My fingers a-tremble, I complied, smelling the fresh leather and finding an official-looking document insi de. The document was a scholarship to the state college for Negroes. Although the white men provide the narrator with a scholarship, it is for the black college, which is undoubtedly inferior to any white college. Another instance in which the narrator does not fully understand the intentions of the white men occurs when the black men are ordered to scramble for money on a rug after the battle. It appears that the men are going to receive money for participating in the battle; however, the rug is electrified and the coins are not real. The white men are merely being entertained at the expense of the black men, which the narrator realizes this once he is electrocuted when he tries to pick up a coin. The narrator’s figurative blindness to the intentions of the white men makes the struggle for equality even harder. The white blindfold is also symbolic of the restrictions put on blacks by white men. This is shown when the white men put blindfolds on the black men before the battle royal. The white color of the blindfold is symbolic as well; it represents the binding powerShow MoreRelatedThe Royal Experience : An Analysis Of Battle Royal Essay1219 Words   |  5 PagesThe Royal Experience: An Analysis of â€Å"Battle Royal† The short story â€Å"Battle Royal† by Ralph Ellison characterizes about a well-educated young black male who strives to find his own identity. The protagonist refers to himself as an †¦ â€Å"Invisible Man† (Ellison 1). He lives in the deep South where race and gender defined an individual’s equality and right’s. He is invited to read his graduation speech at a private gathering in front of his towns elite white members. The young black man felt honoredRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Battle Royal 857 Words   |  4 Pagesway all the elements of a test contribute to a story’s meaning. The images, symbols, and metaphors in Ellison’s â€Å"Battle Royal† give this story a whole new meaning. In 1947, when this short story was published, the black community was at an all-time low. The main aspects of this piece have ambiguous meanings behind them. The grandfather’s death scene, the naked dancer, the battle royal, the narratorâ €™s speech, and the narrator’s dream all have significant symbolism. The grandfather’s death had aRead MoreBattle Royal By Ralph Ellison1308 Words   |  6 PagesThe short story Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison is a disturbing story about the conflicts between the black and white cultures and the main character and himself. In the story the conflicts between the two cultures had a definite impact on how the main character saw himself and caused the conflicts within himself. Battle Royal deals with racism and the suppression of the African American race and how it effected the actions of that culture. The main character of the story is an African AmericanRead MoreBattle Royal, By Ralph Ellison963 Words   |  4 Pages Battle Royal Interpretive Essay Battle Royal is a short story that metaphorically address many such issues such as racial discrimination. The Author, Ralph Ellison, uses symbolism such as blindness and the concept of initiation to compare the world to a real life battlefield. Ellison intended to emphasize, both passive and aggressive elements of battle is necessary to achieve the American Dream. There is much symbolism used in the story. The protagonist’s grandfather is a symbol in himself.Read MoreBattle Royal By Ralph Ellison989 Words   |  4 PagesIt is undeniable that the short story by Ralph Ellison entitled â€Å"Battle Royal† is an intense one. It would be hard to walk away from reading his story without feeling some kind of emotion whether it be pain, sadness, fear, anger, or all of the above. This story portrays a black man, the invisible man, in the time when racism is still running rampant. He uses symbolism many times in order to portray meaning and delve deep into the mind and emotions of the main character, a black man. In the storyRead MoreBattle Royal, By Ralph Ellison969 Words   |  4 PagesThe struggles of many black is should never be described lightly. Many african americans were treated like animals and never was given the respected deserved. In the story, Battle Royal, by Ralph Ellison, a young African American man is trying to fit i nto white society that holds majority of blacks back. During the beginning, the narrator is bewildered by his grandfather s last words. His grandfather spoke out about being a traitor in front of his family. The family was confused and concernedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Battle Royal 1965 Words   |  8 Pagesthink all in all or the way that we dress. Our lifestyles are affected as a whole. Today, people of different races are able to come together as one, whereas a few decades ago, everything and everyone was once segregated. Ralph Ellison, author of â€Å"Battle Royal†, wrote this story from a first-person singular point-of-view. Throughout the story, the reader can easily interpret how the narrator’s level of self-awareness shifts. This highlights an important theme of identity and the true self. The narrator’sRead MoreEssay Battle Royal, by Ralph Ellison1341 Words   |  6 PagesEllison’s Powerful Battle Royal      Ã‚   I felt a wave of irrational guilt and fear. My teeth chattered, my skin turned to goose flesh, my knees knocked. Yet I was strongly attracted and looked in spite of myself. Had the price of looking been blindness, I would have looked. (Ellison 939)    These insightful words written by Ralph Ellison in the powerful short story Battle Royal, which later became the first chapter in the critically acclaimed novel Invisible Man, convey the repressedRead MoreBattle Royal By Ralph Ellison Analysis1089 Words   |  5 Pagesrace can make one group think less of another. This is not the only factor though. Nobility has always looked down upon those without royal blood, and rich people have always looked down upon poor people. These factors are all present in Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison. In order to highlight the virulent relationship between the white men and black men in Battle Royal, Ralph Ellison focuses on a separation of class by way of race, wealth, and social standing. Because of racism, the main character (Ellison)Read MoreRalph Ellison s Battle Royal962 Words   |  4 PagesCrushed Into Invisibility; Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"Battle Royal† Invisible Man begins with the claim that he, our narrator, is an invisible man. His invisibility was not manifested by a physical condition but rather by the result of the refusal of others to see him. The Chapter, â€Å"Battle Royal† is about our protagonist who forced unknowingly to embrace this invisibility as a way to survive in a world of Southern racism. In this â€Å"Battle Royal† young black men forced to look at a naked white woman with